This invention relates to vehicle mounted snowplow blades and, more particularly, to hydraulic systems utilized in raising and angling such blades.
Vehicle mounted snowplow blades capable of being angled right or left, in addition to being raised or lowered, are well known. Also, various hydraulic systems and arrangements have been proposed to achieve the lift, lower, and angling operation of the blade. Examples of this type of installation can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,201,878 and 3,706,144 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,307,275 assigned to the assignee of this application. The design objectives for such systems have been simplification, compactness, and economy, all without sacrificing the effectiveness and reliability of operation. The aforementioned patent structures, which are typical of prior art proposals, meet some but not all of these design criteria.
It is among the general objects of this invention to simplify the overall hydraulic system as used in these types of installations, to achieve a compact arrangement of the operative elements such as the valves, conduits, etc. and to minimize the number of operative elements required.